Water Heater Maintenance

Proper Water Heater Maintenance

If you own a water heater in your home or business, to ensure that the appliance works effectively for a long time, you need to do proper maintenance. You can do this on a monthly or yearly basis, depending on the age and model of the unit, and your schedule. If proper care is not taken, the heater will not last for a long time. Maintenance is important as it gives you the opportunity to replace those parts that are worn out and also as a regular inspection to prevent bigger problems later on. Identify problems ahead of time will help you avoid the situation of the unit going down and being without warm water for days. When maintaining your water heater, it is essential that you hire the specialist if you are uncertain about the tasks involved.

Things To Check and Do For Proper Water Heater Maintenance

Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/DsnapLeakage is a small problem that can become a big problemd quickly and can result in an increase in your water bill as you lose a lot through leaking. In order to check for leakages, use the pressure valve for inspection. Regulate the pressure in order to see where there is a leakage. Repairing the leakage will reduce loss of water and water bill costs.

Build up of sediments is another problem that can affect the efficiency of your water heater. It is advisable to clean the inside of your water heater in order to remove sediments that may have collected on the electrical elements affecting their working.

Another procedure you should follow will include checking on the electrical and gas connections leading into and from the heater. It is good to ensure that the connections are not loose in order to prevent electrical faults and gas leaks, which can be dangerous.

To keep energy costs at a minimum, ensure that during your checks you regulate the temperature of the water in the heating tank. Adjusting the temperature will help you to control the energy use and also ensure that the unit remains effective for a long while. This you can do by adjust the temperature to be only as hot as you need it.

Another important component is the anode rod and it should be inspected regularly. If you notice the anode beginning to wear out, look into getting a new anode rod for your water heater. Another part to maintain is the dip tube that is used to indicate if the water is getting cold. This is an important part that can also notify you if the appliance is working properly or if it needs maintenance.

Understanding Hot Water Heating Systems

Here is a Kindle book about understanding hot water heating systems that was written by a fellow InfoBarrel member. This reference book goes over all of the possible components you may encounter in your system

Reminder

Like all appliances, these are complex machines and you may be taking a risk doing maintenance yourself. Do not attempt if you do not know what you are doing. When you do maintenance, using the services of a professional technician is advised. Do not try to maintain the heater by yourself if you don't fully understand what needs to be done and how to do it.

Comments

We put a solar gain heater in a couple of years ago and it drives us mad. It makes a horrible noise like an alarm. They replaced the valve and it was ok for couple of months then all of a sudden it starts up again. It could be in the middle of the night or when we flush the toilet or turn on a cold tap. Just intermittent, a real pain.